NEW YORK – Connecticut Sun forward Jonquel Jones today was named the 2018 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, earning the honor as the league’s top reserve for the first time in her three-year career.  Jones, who was voted last season as the 2017 WNBA Most Improved Player, becomes the first player to win both the Sixth Woman and Most Improved awards.

Jones received 20 votes from a national panel of 38 sportswriters and broadcasters who selected the Sixth Woman of the Year.  Chicago Sky forward Cheyenne Parker finished second with eight votes and Atlanta Dream guard Brittney Sykes was third with three votes.

To be eligible for the award, players had to have come off the bench in more games than they started.  Jones came off the bench in 18 of her 34 games this season.

A 6-6 forward from the Bahamas, Jones helped the Sun post a 21-13 record in the regular season, including nine victories in its final 10 games.  As the No. 4 seed in the 2018 WNBA Playoffs, Connecticut will host the fifth-seeded Phoenix Mercury in a second-round, single-elimination game tonight at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Jones averaged 11.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, a career-high 1.7 assists and 1.24 blocked shots per game this season.  She tied for ninth in the WNBA in blocks and ranked fifth in field goal percentage (55.0) and second in three-point field goal percentage (46.7).  With 50 three-pointers made, she surpassed her total from the previous two seasons combined (36).

During the Sun’s 9-1 finish to the season, Jones averaged 18.5 points and 6.6 rebounds.  That stretch included four games of 20 or more points for the 24-year-old Jones.

Jones was selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft before Connecticut acquired her draft rights in a trade that night.  Last season, she was selected to her first All-Star Game, earned All-WNBA Second Team honors and won the WNBA rebounding title.

In honor of being named the WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year, Jones will receive $5,000 and a specially designed trophy by Tiffany & Co.

Below are the voting results for the 2018 WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year and a list of past recipients.